Great experience design is vital to drive customer loyalty and revenue. User Interfaces are crucial components that enable enhanced customer experience.
Building an Android User Interface (UI) is not an easy task. XML layouts can be verbose and difficult to maintain. And it can be hard to make changes to the look and feel of the mobile app without rewriting layouts. Many developers still grapple with complexities in XML layouts, code volumes, and spend hours on tedious UI updates.
Is there a way you can build better Android UIs with less code?
Jetpack Compose holds the answer.
In this blog, our resident Android Expert and Software Development Engineer Sagar Balyan explains what Jetpack Compose is, its benefits, and how it is transforming Android UI development by overcoming the limitations of the traditional approach.
What is Jetpack Compose?
Jetpack Compose is the cutting-edge toolkit for building native UI in Android. It simplifies and speeds up UI development allowing you to bring your apps to life with minimal code, a robust set of tools, and user-friendly Kotlin APIs.
Jetpack Compose is declarative, meaning you can describe how your UI should look like, rather than how it should be built, making it much easier to create complex layouts with maintainable code. Its speed and ease of use have quickly made it the preferred choice of technology for Android development.
Now, let’s explore the benefits that Jetpack Compose brings to the table.
Less Code
Less code is the new norm, thanks to Jetpack Compose. By eliminating XML files, it simplifies the development process and eliminates unnecessary complexity. It’s no wonder that even Twitter has applauded its low code feature, highlighting how the code required for a Button class was dramatically reduced by 10X.
Faster Development
Jetpack Compose not only accelerates the Android app development process but also makes it faster and more efficient. With its intuitive and declarative syntax, developers can build user interfaces in a fraction of the time compared to traditional approaches. Additionally, Jetpack Compose simplifies the implementation of light and dark modes in apps, making it easier to create visually appealing and consistent experiences across different themes.
Live Previews
Jetpack Compose can provide live previews and is not just limited to just one. Developers can create and preview multiple composables live previews in real-time, allowing for seamless experimentation and instant visual feedback. This powerful feature enables developers to iterate and refine their UI components quickly, leading to more efficient and effective development cycles.
Powerful
Jetpack Compose can help you build stunning apps by providing direct access to the Android platform APIs and seamless integration with essential features like material design, dark theme, and animations. This powerful toolkit has garnered the attention of industry leaders like Square, who have declared that Compose goes beyond just offering a declarative UI. It has significantly improved accessibility APIs, layout capabilities, and various other aspects of app development.
Separation of Concern
Other than these benefits, Jetpack Compose addresses a barrier that was present in the traditional XML approach namely the Separation of Concern. For example, when a Viewmodel was written in Kotlin, it had a close interaction with the XML file. This tight coupling between the Viewmodel and the XML file caused increased dependencies.
If these components are tightly coupled and heavily dependent on each other, it defeats the purpose of having two separate files. However, Jetpack Compose resolves this problem by allowing the UI to be written directly in Kotlin. This means that the Viewmodel and the UI are now seamlessly integrated, reducing dependencies and enhancing code organization. With Jetpack Compose, developers can achieve a more cohesive and efficient development workflow.
Due to these wide-ranging benefits, more companies are transitioning from the traditional XML approach and embracing this modern toolkit.
Live Jetpack Compose Apps
Wonder what live apps have been built on Jetpack Compose?
Here are a few. If you are not using them already, make sure you explore them further.
Code Snippet Implementation
To use Compose effectively, it’s essential to have the following code snippet properly implemented in projects. This code serves as the key to unlock the full potential of Compose and leverage its capabilities for development tasks.
Don’t forget to include the dependencies to enable Jetpack Compose functionality in the project. These dependencies are crucial to ensure that Compose works seamlessly with all its powerful features available for developers. Ensure that these required dependencies are added to the project configuration.
For more details, refer to the Official Android Docs.
It’s clear that the future of Android UI development is here. By embracing this toolkit, developers can unlock a world of endless possibilities and create stunning, dynamic, and highly responsive user interfaces. From reducing code complexity to empowering seamless integration with Android platform APIs, Jetpack Compose has opened new doors for developers everywhere.
So, whether you’re an experienced developer or just starting your journey in the world of Android app development, Jetpack Compose can give you what you want.
Want to know how to make the most of Jetpack Compose?
Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com. Our expert team would love to chat with you.
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